Ella Embroiders
by BeautifulBabeForever
Summary: Challenge Response to Babe Squad Sewing Challenge: Ella decides to take matter into her own hands.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Not Mine. Don't own them, just having some fun. Not making anything from them.**

**April Sewing Challenge Prompt**

**Ella and her Embroidering Machine**

The nerve of that man! I swear if he weren't my nephew I would have quit long ago for some of the stunts he pulls on her. He seems to like this game of catch and release, but I have had it up to here now. This has got to end and if not he may lose her for good. Whether he chooses to believe he has a relationship with her or not the man is hopelessly in love with her. He gives her cars, protection and a job when she needs it and then he throws lines at her like, 'my life doesn't lend it self to relationships' and expects her to just take what he is willing to give her? What an idiot.

What caused me to get so angry you might ask? Well the other day my 'nephew' ordered me to embroider Rangeman on several pairs her panties. The satisfied little smirk on his face was enough to make me want to step on his foot as hard as I could. Reluctantly I did as he asked knowing this would not turn out well. And guess what! It didn't. The poor girl was humiliated by her now Permanently OFF Boyfriend because of this stupid request I had followed through with. I felt horrible for her knowing that I was also partly responsible for her embarrassment.

Apparently she went to her boyfriends' house and he saw the stitching and went off on her. If I didn't know my nephew as well as I did I would never have guessed that he sent her there wearing those panties on purpose. But that wasn't even the worst part. The creep of a man she used to call her boyfriend spread it all throughout the 'burg, as they call it. Nothing for this poor girl is ever private. She tries to make it seem that it doesn't affect her, but I see the light in her eyes dim a little each time something like this happens. She lights up our entire world and I would do anything to help her I could.

This thought is what helped me to come up with a plan to get back at my nephew and help him get over his stupid 'no relationship' stance, well hopefully anyway. If nothing else it should embarrass him, which he won't take well, but there is nothing he can do about it. I'm family after all, all I have to do is tell his mother and he will be singing a different tune. So off to the fabric store I go with my idea in mind.

The other day I had seen a new thread that was clear and glow in the dark. It blends in with other colors perfectly so that it would help to mend rips and tears in the obvious spots. Well I wasn't really going to repair anything with this, but I would get my point across.

xxxxxx

After returning from the fabric store I had several spools of my new favorite thread. I took out a few test pieces of fabric to make sure I got the desired effect I was after. Quickly stitching on the test piece what I wanted I walked into the bathroom and closed the door without the lights on and low and behold it worked. I guess there really is truth in advertising sometimes. Go figure.

Exiting the bathroom I now had to think of different ways I could set my plan in motion. I thought of calling for one of the guys to help me out, but I just couldn't bring them in for fear of them giving him a heads up. I know they wouldn't on purpose, I think they were all just as upset by this whole situation as I was. So I figured the best way to approach this was with as little input as possible. I think the guys would look forward to this as well.

After thinking for a while I decided that over the course of the next few days I would take small amounts of his clothing from the laundry and add my little touch to them and add them back into his wardrobe. Pretty soon all of his clothing would have my little enhancement. It would only be a matter of time before someone would see it. I really wonder who would see it first and what the reaction would be.

xxxxxxx

Several days had passed and I had enhanced all of his clothing making sure that every piece got the desired effect before it was returned to his wardrobe. I had yet to hear any complaints or comments on my efforts. I knew it was only a matter of time. It wasn't until later that night that there was an unexpected knock at my door. Answering it I was surprised to see Tank.

"Good Evening Tank. Is there something that I can do for you?" I asked him.

"Good evening Ella. Can I speak with you privately for a moment?" he asks me and I back away from the door to allow him entrance.

"What can I help you with?" I ask him with a smile on my face.

As soon as he turns to look at me there is a huge smile on his face. "Ella, have you made any adjustments to the boss' wardrobe lately?"

"What ever do you mean Tank?" I ask him with a smile.

"Well there seems to have been an addition his cargos and t-shirts that glows in the dark. I don't recall it being there previously. I believe that it may have come from your embroidery machine." He says with a laugh.

"Ah, yes, that would be me. Has he noticed yet?" I ask him knowing full well I would have heard about it if he had.

"No ma'am. But I can't wait to see the look on his face when he does find out. Can we take this one step further?" he asks me.

"What would you like to do Tank? I'm all ears." I say to him looking forward to where this may be going.

"I know why you did this, and I think that the best way to truly get back at him would be for Steph to be the one to point it out to him. This way she might feel a bit better about herself and getting in the action as well." Tank explains.

"I like how you think. When would you like to do this? And how do we keep the men from spilling the beans?" I ask.

"We have a distraction tomorrow night and because of the size of the place there will be a large group from Rangeman that will be there. I can make sure that none of the guys in attendance will say anything to him, and I can make sure that Steph will get a very good view of your handy work. Man I can't wait to see how she takes it." He says shaking his head with a slight laugh.

"Alright then, I hope the parking lot is dark, because the darker it is the better the result you know. And by the way can you record it? I would love to send it to his mother." I say.

"Oh boy Ella, I certainly don't want to get on your bad side." Tanks says with a laugh.

"I love that dear girl with all my heart. I can't stand to see how he has treated her. The panties were a terrible idea, and I will be apologizing to her when this is all over. I still can't believe I followed that request." I say shaking my head.

"Well it may have worked out for the best. At least the cop is out of the picture permanently. Hopefully Ranger will get his head out of his ass now." Tank comments.

"True, but time will only tell." I say to him as he walks toward the door. "Have a good night Tank; let me know if you need anything from me."

"Actually would you like to be there when this happens? I can get you in a SUV without Ranger knowing and you can listen to the whole thing." He asks me with a smile.

"That would be wonderful. I can't wait to see his reaction." I say laughing.

xxxxxx

The next evening we are all sitting in the parking lot waiting for the takedown to actually be finished. I was listening to the distraction taking place and was absolutely disgusted that my nephew would be willing to put the woman he loves in such a terrible position. No wonder she seems shaken for a day or two after one of these evenings, this fact only strengthen my resolve for a little payback. I mentally rub my hands together as the night goes on. Soon Steph is coming out the door of the club and Ranger and his team take down the man they were after. Even from the distance I was at from where they were I could see the evidence of my handy work. And I noticed the exact moment that Stephanie saw it. At first she looked shocked and then she couldn't control her laughter. Hearing her over the radio made me smile, she had a true genuine laugh and it warmed my heart.

Ranger turned around to look at her and saw her bent over at the waist laughing. "Babe, are you alright? Did he hurt you?" He asked her.

Shaking her head, but still laughing hard she shook her head 'no' but couldn't catch her breath.

I noticed that his men were trying to hold back their own laughter, but it seemed to be getting more and more difficult as the minutes passed.

"Babe, what the matter? Why are you laughing? Did something happen that I don't know about?" Ranger asked her seriously. All Stephanie could do was shake her head yes.

"What is it Babe? I need you to tell me so I can make sure he pays for it." He threatened. Which only seemed to make her laugh even harder, and that is when his men started howling with laughter as well. He spun around to look at his men with a glare which caused Stephanie to sit on the ground, holding her side and trying to gather her wits about her.

After a few minutes Stephanie was finally able to gather herself together and say, "Gee Ranger, I didn't think you were in to glow in the dark?" She giggled a bit more. At her comment he looked utterly confused. She stood up and walked over to him. "I like how you made yourself my property, but you might want to ask if I'm interested before announcing it to the world. If I'd known before I could have possibly done something about it before now." She says as she grabs his butt where I had placed my enhancement and continues to walk past him.

"What are you talking about Babe?" he turns toward her as laughter erupts behind him from a crowd that had gathered outside watching them work.

Stephanie reaches the guys and turns around and says, "You wrote 'Property of Babe' on you cargos, t-shirt and your jacket Ranger." She giggles. "At least it wasn't just my panties that got marked as property. It's stamped all over you." She laughs and the guys start howling all over again.

Ranger just stands there with his mouth hanging open. Not a look we are at all familiar with on him.

Word count: 1945


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Thanks tyo everyone for your reviews on the first entry to this story. It took a while, but I finally figured out what should come next thanks to Amanda (Knab). You're awesome girl.**

**I hope you all enjoy the next installment of Ella Embroiders.**

_Previously…_

"_What are you talking about Babe?" he turns toward her as laughter erupts behind him from a crowd that had gathered outside watching them work. _

_Stephanie reaches the guys and turns around and says, "You wrote 'Property of Babe' on you cargos, t-shirt and your jacket Ranger." She giggles. "At least it wasn't just my panties that got marked as property. It's stamped all over you." She laughs and the guys start howling all over again. _

_Ranger just stands there with his mouth hanging open. Not a look we are at all familiar with on him. _

XXXXXX

Before anyone knew what was happening Ranger stalked off to his to his Porsche without so much as a backwards glance and floored it out of the parking lot making dirt and debris fly out behind him. Everyone had to cover their faces to protect their eyes from the debris, but we couldn't stop laughing at the whole situation.

"Well I guess that Ranger can't take being the butt of the joke, hmmm?" asked Steph.

"I'd say your right there Bomber." Tanks said still laughing. "But serves him right. He enjoys it when everyone else is the target. He needs a sense of humor."

XXXXXX

How could they do that to me? I'm their boss, their leader, their friend, or so I thought. Then they go and humiliate me. I couldn't just stand there and take it I needed to get out of there and think for a while.

XXXXXX

It had been two weeks since that horribly night in the parking lot of the takedown. I had never been so humiliated in all my life and I was beyond pissed. I had no idea what to say, and that never happens to me. I may say little, but I'm never left speechless. My guys were laughing at me, my Babe was laughing at me, I just couldn't take it. So what did I do? I took a page from my Babes book and I ran. I've been sitting here in my Miami office for the last two weeks and have done nothing but work, and beat the crap out of my men down here. Even they heard about what happened and have been giving me shit about it. I know that they've all seen some video that apparently went around to all of my offices. I haven't taken any calls from the office in Trenton, or my Babe. Well, she called the first two days and then hasn't seemed to try since then. It hurts to think that she had anything to do with this whole fucked up situation.

My phone started ringing, looking at the caller ID I groaned before answering it. I really didn't need this right now. "Hello Momma."

"Ricardo." She paused and I could tell she wasn't happy with me. "What do you think your doing? You can't take the teasing, but you can certainly cause it. It's no wonder you're alone. What a moron I raised! I could have sworn you were one of the smart ones but you have proved me wrong with this stunt you've pulled. You get your stubborn ass back here to Trenton and fix this."

"What do you mean get back here to Trenton? You live in Newark." I asked confused.

"Yes, but I had to come to Trenton to talk to Stephanie after you left and have refused any contact with your office here. You have treated that poor girl terribly and she has started to give up on you, you idiot. Not that you deserve her. The sweet girl has been there for you when you trusted no one else yet you treat her like she's nothing. I raised you better than that Ricardo." She argued. "I know what you did with sending her to her boyfriend with you name on her panties, and you did it on purpose so it would break them up. Then when they do you do nothing about it. You have played with her Ricardo. You should be ashamed of yourself. No son of mine would pull what you have done. If you do not get back here and try to fix this you're not be welcome in my home." I was floored.

"They all made me the butt of their joke Momma. Why should I go back and let them do it again?" I asked her.

"You have dished out more pain and hurtful lines to that girl that what you encountered that night was nothing in comparison. Getting a little of your own medicine I say. Who tells someone that they are 'Entertainment'? I hope you like being alone, because if you don't fix this now you will be for the rest of your life idiot son of mine. You know I wish I could just reach through the phone and smack some sense into you." Then she hung up on me. SHE HUNG UP ON ME! I hung my head.

I decided to go and see Julie. She would help to take my mind off of everything. I've missed seeing her while I was up in Trenton, but I had my Babe there, now I didn't know what I had.

Arriving at Rachael's house I received a very cold greeting from everyone. What is going on here? Has the world gone crazy? What did I do to them?

"Ranger." Rachael said in a cool tone.

"Rachael." I nod as she allowed me into the house. "How are you?"

"Fine." She turned and called for Julie to come downstairs.

As soon as Julie saw me she stopped. I usually got a hug or at least a smile and this time I got a blank stare. "Oh it's the big chicken from Trenton." Julie said.

"Excuse me?" I asked shocked and angry that my daughter would talk to me like that.

"The big chicken, the big dummy, the Bad-Ass Army man that ran from a girl." Julie replies looking straight at me. I hear Rachael snickers behind me. I was shocked to hear my daughter talk about me like this. I know we don't have the greatest relationship, but I thought things were getting better.

"She has you pegged Ranger. Never thought I would see the day that you ran away from something instead of face it. And it wasn't even dangerous. You're a big chicken." Rachael comments with a laugh.

"I didn't run. And what do you know? You weren't there." I replied.

"Maybe so, but we watched the video. And we've heard the aftermath that you seem to be ignoring." Rachael offers. I was floored. They had seen the video. Someone was going to pay for this.

"Steph is my friend Ranger, and you treat her like she's nothing to you. She helped to keep me safe and she talks to me like I matter, but you. What do you do? You treat her like property. Great example you've set for me Ranger." Julie states. "Steph calls to make sure that I'm ok, we talk all the time, and I could tell that something wasn't ok, so I had mom call and talk to Tank. That's how we found out about you running away to hide like a chicken." Great my daughter seems to have a better relationship with Steph than I have with my own daughter.

"Julie's right Ranger, you've gone yellow because of a girl." Rachael laughed. "I have to admit it is funny to see. Never thought I would see the day." I was grinding my teeth to keep from exploding. How could they think this about me? How could they say it to my face?

"Have you ever been the butt of someone's joke Julie? For your sake I certainly hope not. They laughed at me, all of them." I said through clenched teeth.

"Yeah we know, we saw it, and got a good laugh ourselves, didn't we mom?" Julie said with a smile on her face for the first time since I arrived. Great now my daughter thought I was a joke. "I would have loved to be there in person, but the video was almost as good."

"You need to go back to Trenton and fix the mess that you left behind Ranger. Man up here. Have they ever pulled something on you like this before?" Asked Rachael.

"No, until now none of them dared. Now my men don't respect me." I said feeling defeated.

"To my understanding the only one's that had anything to do with it were Ella and Tank. And Tank didn't find out until after you had been walking around with this 'Property of Babe' stitched into your clothes for a few days. Ella was the mastermind behind this. She didn't like how you were treating Stephanie and wanted you to have a taste of your own medicine. Now because of your reaction you may have lost the best thing that's ever happened to you. Stephanie knows that you blame her for this incident, even though she had nothing to do with it. Plus she knows that you sent her to Morelli's house with those stupid panties on purposely to break them up, but were you there for her when people started talking about her? Of course not, and that is what started this whole mess to begin with." Rachael informed me.

"But she laughed at me. How could she not have known?" I retorted.

"Did you even bother to look at the expression of sheer shock on her face? For someone who claims to be able to read people so well, you sure blew it on this one. At this point you'll be lucky if she even considers you a friend anymore Ranger. You didn't even bother to stick around to get any details, you just ran." Rachael pointed out. Crap. CRAP. How had this all gone so wrong? "You may be looking for a new form of 'Entertainment' Ranger." She sneered at me.

At that comment my heart sank to my feet and I hung my head. Had I really caused all of this? Had I really lost my Babe? She was never entertainment to me. That was just my stupid mouth talking. See that's why I don't talk a lot. I stick my foot in my mouth. I looked back up at Rachael and Julie and see they were both radiating anger and it was all directed at me. I turned to leave and say over my shoulder as I walk out the door, "I should go."

"Yeah, back to Trenton." Julie stated, then looked at her mother, "Excuse me for what I'm going to say mom." turning back to me she yelled, "GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOU ASS!"

Rachael looks at me but speaks to Julie, "You're excused and I completely agree with you Julie. GET YOU HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS RANGER! You better hope it's not too late." And with that comment Rachael closed the door.

I headed back to the office to think about what they said. How could things have gone from bad to worse today? I never should have answered my phone.

**So what do you think? More to come shortly. It took a while to get going but I have a plan of attack now. How do you think Ranger should make it up to Steph? What did you think of Rachael and Julie?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Thanks to everyone for your reviews on the first entry to this story. It took a while, but I finally figured out what should come next thanks to Amanda (Knab). You're awesome girl.**

**I hope you all enjoy the next installment of Ella Embroiders.**

_Previously…_

_"Yeah, back to Trenton." Julie stated, then looked at her mother, "Excuse me for what I'm going to say mom." turning back to me she yelled, "GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOU ASS!" _

_Rachael looks at me but speaks to Julie, "You're excused and I completely agree with you Julie. GET YOU HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS RANGER! You better hope it's not too late." And with that comment Rachael closed the door. _

_I headed back to the office to think about what they said. How could things have gone from bad to worse today? I never should have answered my phone._

XXXXXX

On my way back to Rangeman I kept thinking about what my daughter had said to me. I still couldn't believe that she was so angry at me. No one has ever dared speak to me like she had today, and Rachael backed her up. What is that about? How can she think that a little girl should talk to her father like that? But was what she said true? Could I have been so wrong by leaving?

Arriving back at the office I went straight to my office. Closing the door behind me I made my way to my desk and turned to look out the window and think. Not five minutes after I sat down my office door opened without a knock. Someone waltzed into my office without announcing themselves. What is going on around here? I turned my chair around to be confronted by half of the men in my Miami office, my office was overflowing with my staff.

"What is the meaning of this? Get out of here." I was fuming.

Silvio spoke first, "Not until we have told you exactly what we have to say and you're going to listen Ranger." He stared me down but I didn't say anything so he continued. "You have always had a standing order that anyone that hurt Bombshell that they would be seeing you on the mats, well Ranger, you are the one that hurt her, and not just once but multiple times. So all of us are here to tell you to meet us down on the mats NOW. You have had your chance to work out your frustrations on us for the last two weeks and now it's our turn to get back at you." I was floored by his words.

"We have heard all these stories through the years about how you trust and believe in Bomber, but you sure haven't showed it in the last few months. We're here to fight for her boss. None of us would get away with any woman how you have treated her and you claim to trust and respect her. It certainly doesn't show if this is how you act. No wonder she wants nothing to do with you." Diego commented.

"Running away from a joke is the coward's way out, and I never thought of you as a coward until now Ranger. For the first time ever I can say that I am ashamed of your behavior. I thought you were an honorable man, but instead you have turned out to be a coward." Leon stated.

"We may not know Bombshell that much, but we know enough about her to be more than willing to fight for her honor, even if that means with you." Snake states.

"Brave words from men who are just standing there. Are you going to follow up on those words? No one challenges me and gets away with it. No one calls me a coward. I should fire every one of you for this behavior." I replied.

"Well then I guess you should fire yourself for not following your own orders as well." Reminded Silvio.

"So is everyone here to challenge me?" Every single man nodded in agreement. Holy Shit.

"All of the guys on duty also plan on fighting you, but they will wait until their shift is over." replied Silvio.

Holy Shit. When did my staff, my brothers in arms turn on me? "Then let's get this done." I stood and headed to the stairs with twenty five of my guys following closely behind. Taking the stairs down to the gym I quickly changed in the locker room and made my way to the mats to stretch. Something told me this was going to be a very long day.

And it was. Every single man that works for me in this building took me on, and that included Miguel the maintenance man. They all lectured ME during our time on the mats, 'never disrespect a woman', 'treat every woman like you would treat your mother', 'communicate your feelings', 'watch what you say', 'be honest', it went on and on throughout the night. By the time my men were done with me it was well after 4am in the morning and I was sore everywhere. They gave me one final reminder 'if you ever do it again this will seem like child's' play'. After soaking in the tub for an hour with the water as hot as I could stand it and the jets pounding my sore body I got into bed. I felt like I could sleep for a week.

What my Miami Men showed me tonight was that it didn't matter whether they knew my Babe or not, she was family to all my guys, I had hurt her, and they weren't going to let it happen again. It really made me think that I needed to get my shit together. I needed to make things right with my Babe. The question was how? Any normal woman would want jewelry, clothes, trips to exotic locations, but my Babe was different. She really didn't care about my money, which was one of the things that I loved about her. Most women would look at me as a checkbook. My Babe saw me as a person, an honorable man. The problem was I had ruined the vision she had of me. I needed to get back to Trenton to make this right, and ASAP.

XXXXXX

The flight back to Trenton was long and torturous. I wanted to be there now and the weather wasn't cooperating. Freaking storms! I wanted to fly in under the radar so I told no one that I was coming, although I'm sure that the guys in Miami called to warn them I had left. I needed to think of something to do to make up my behavior to my Babe and the sooner the better but I was coming up blank.

The plane finally landed in Newark and not so surprisingly I was met by Tank, Lester and Bobby. Okay that was a bit surprising to have the three of them, but this wasn't exactly a normal situation either. None of them looked happy to see me. We walked out of the terminal and Tank moved to the drivers' side. I hate riding shot gun and always drive, so reluctantly I climbed in the front passenger seat, and none of them had said a word to me. Once we were all in the car and headed out of the airport I felt a slight sizzle on the right side of my neck thinking 'shit' before everything went dark.

XXXXXX

Silvio had called me to let me know that our dumbass boss was on his way home after they had beaten the crap out of him. All forty five men in addition to the maintenance guy Miguel. I couldn't have been happier to hear that. Only he wasn't going to get off that easily. We were going to dish out our own version of a ranger beat down.

I know I had something to do with what had happened at the takedown and I had explained it all to Bombshell, but his behavior was so ridiculous it was asinine. For once in his life he wasn't in control and it proved that he is stupid with a capital 'S'. I felt horrible for Bombshell when she realized that he had taken off for parts unknown and he wouldn't return anyone's calls. It hurt her most when she left message after message and he never called her back, and she had nothing to do with it. After two days instead of being sad she got angry, which she had every right to be, but we knew she could do a lot of damage and make some horrible choices when she was angry.

Our plan was to put a beat down on Ranger first and then make him see the error of his way before it was too late. I swear the man is an absolute idiot. Even his mother agreed with us and with how Stephanie felt.

Lester, Bobby and I had hoped in the SUV as soon as we knew what time his plane was to land. We knew he was hoping to come in relatively unnoticed, but to damn bad. He is not going to be getting what he wants for quite some time as far as I was concerned. Waiting in the terminal we all stood stock still and silent once we saw him. We noticed a very slight change in his expression when he noticed us. If we didn't know him so well, we would have never noticed it. Together we walked out to the SUV and I made for the drivers side. No way was he taking control of the car with what we had planned. As soon as we were pulling out Lester zapped him with the tazer. Ranger made no noise, but slumped into the door where Bobby administered a sedative and Lester secured his arms with cuffs and we made out way back to Haywood. Boy was he going to be pissed once he saw what was coming.

"Nice job guys." I commented. They both nodded with out a word.

XXXXXX

I slowly came awake in what looked like one of the holding cells in Rangeman. What the hell did they think they were doing? My men would pay for this. I didn't have to wait long before someone came in the room. I looked up and was surprised to see both my mother and Ella walk into the room. FUCK!

"Ricardo, you finally decided to grace us with your presence? How kind of you." My mother said.

"Momma, what is going on? Get me out of these cuffs. I have things I need to do." I stated.

"You are not going anywhere until we are done with you hijo." Momma replied.

"Carlos, you've treated Stephanie horribly and it stops here. This is just the latest in a long line of hurts you have caused her. What do you have to say for yourself?" Ella asked.

"I didn't know that she had nothing to do with this stunt you and Tank pulled." I replied.

"Your assumptions have hurt her more than any physical pain that you could ever hurt her Carlos. She thought you trusted her, that you cared about her. You were her hero, the first man that she thought that believed in her and accepted her for who she was and you have ruined that. The only other male in her life that has believed in her was her father, and you know he doesn't speak very much. You know her history with men and yet you played with her and then thought that she would participate in a joke that was meant to show you what it was like to be in her shoes, when you sent her back to the cop with those underwear on." Ella shook her head at me. "Do you honestly think that she would want anyone else to feel that way?"

"She laughed at me Tia." I replied flatly. I knew I was wrong, but that didn't mean I liked to admit it.

"Out of pure shock Ricardo! That much was obvious, but you were to self centered to notice. I saw the tapes, I know what happened. Both Ella and Tank explained what the reason behind the prank was, and I'm glad that they showed you how it felt to be treated badly, but instead of taking it in stride and laughing it off as Stephanie does most of the time you turn and run. I'm ashamed of you Ricardo." Momma comments.

I hang my head. It was getting harder and harder to breathe realizing just how much I had hurt the woman that I love. I never meant to hurt her. I always thought that I would be there for her and I may have just ruined it forever.

Looking up at them I asked, "How do I fix this? I need to get to my Babe, and make this up to her but I don't know how."

"I guess you'll have to think about that Ricardo and pray that she'll listen to you, because if I were her I can't say that I would be willing to listen to you." My momma replied.

Ella and my mother exit and close the door behind them. I felt like I had just been kicked in the gut.

XXXXXX

After a few hours the guys came into release me from the cuffs and told me to follow them. Tank led the way to the gym with Lester and Bobby following closely behind me. There in the gym surrounding the mats were thirty of my guys. If looks could kill I would have been dead a million times over. Everyone seemed to want a piece of me. Well they could have it, if I couldn't make this up to my Babe, then I didn't want to be around anyway.

"You know what this is about. We don't need to explain how this works so lets get this started." Tank announced. "Every single man here in Trenton has signed up to take you on."

I only nod my head in acceptance and make my way to the locker room and get ready to get my ass kicked, for the second time in two days. It wasn't a pretty sight; they wiped the floor with me. The Miami guys were tough, but this staff was the best, they also had something to prove to me and no one was holding back. It wasn't until seven am the next morning that they were done with me and I made my way up to my seventh floor apartment. I was still no closer to an answer for how to make it up to my Babe, but the guys had proved their loyalty to their Bombshell. I had received similar lectures that I had received from the guys in Miami, but there was one distinct difference. They threatened to kill me and move in on her if I ever hurt her again. The message was received loud and clear.

**Awww. Poor Ranger got his butt kicked twice. Now he has to prove to Steph that he's sorry. Can he do it? How does Steph feel about everything that has taken place? More to come soon and from Steph's POV. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Thanks to everyone for your reviews on the first entry to this story. It took a while, but I finally figured out what should come next thanks to Amanda (Knab). You're awesome girl. Jenio1 this one's for you.**

**I hope you all enjoy the next installment of Ella Embroiders.**

_Previously…_

_ "You know what this is about. We don't need to explain how this works so lets get this started." Tank announced. "Every single man here in Trenton has signed up to take you on."_

_ I only nod my head in acceptance and make my way to the locker room and get ready to get my ass kicked, for the second time in two days. It wasn't a pretty sight; they wiped the floor with me. The Miami guys were tough, but this staff was the best, they also had something to prove to me and no one was holding back. It wasn't until seven am the next morning that they were done with me and I made my way up to my seventh floor apartment. I was still no closer to an answer for how to make it up to my Babe, but the guys had proved their loyalty to their Bombshell. I had received similar lectures that I had received from the guys in Miami, but there was one distinct difference. They threatened to kill me and move in on her if I ever hurt her again. The message was received loud and clear. _

XXXXXX

(Steph's POV After the Takedown)

I sat in the parking lot laughing uncontrollably, but felt bad for Ranger. I know exactly what it felt like to be the butt of everyone's jokes and it NEVER felt good, I had been the butt of many, some even at the hands of Ranger. When he flew out of the parking lot I was shocked. I guess someone else was going to be taking me home tonight.

Thank goodness for Lester. He drove me to my apartment and checked it for crazies as per usual and when he declared it safe he turned to me and said, "Hey Beautiful, don't worry about Ranger, he'll get over it before you know it. It was just a joke." He kissed me on the forehead before heading out and reminding me to lock up behind him.

XXXXXX

(One week after the Takedown)

I'd been leaving messages on Ranger's voice mail for two days and he hadn't returned my phone calls. The Merry Men were furious with him for his behavior and the more I thought about it the more I was getting angry myself. I understood how he felt in the moment, I had been there many times, but his reaction was not something that I had expected. I had never run from the situation, instead I get angry. He just left.

I had talked to Julie the other day when she called, but didn't say anything to her about what had happened. She didn't need to know what was going on with her father unless he wanted to tell her. It wasn't my place. We talked about her school, my skips and hoped to get together over the summer sometime.

Think about it for the last week, I was beginning to think that Ranger was blaming me for what happened that night and I was starting to get angry. Going into work at Rangeman one day I noticed that Tank, Lester and Bobby were talking in a corner. After they broke up their little pow wow, I walked into Tank's office to see if they had heard anything. Knocking I heard his 'enter' and opened the door and walked in. I noticed Lester was sitting on the couch quietly reading a report of some kind.

"Hey, have you heard anything from him?" I asked Tank.

"Nothing, and he won't take any of our calls either. This whole situation if ridiculous. The man needs to learn to take a joke." Tank commented clearly irritated.

Lester decided to have his say so as well, "You know that he has to be in control at all times. When he's not he acts like a spoiled child. The thing is the only time this seems to happen is when Beautiful here is involved. He loses all sense of control when it comes to her."

"Hey, I had nothing to do with this and you know it. I was just as surprised as you were Lester. Don't put this on me. I've been the butt of the joke enough to know never to do it to someone else intentionally. It hurts like hell, and I know exactly how he feels. I'm pissed that he's not talking to me either. I can only assume that he thinks that I had something to do with this and doesn't trust me. I had nothing to do with it!" I was yelling at the end because I was so frustrated with the whole situation.

"Now hold on a second Bombshell, you may not have had anything to do with this particular incident, but you haven't exactly been Miss Perfect in this situation. You were the cause of the problem to begin with." Tank commented.

I stared at him doing my impression of a fish. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What are you taking about? I didn't ask for you to play a joke on him. How can I be responsible? Normally I would be the first person to accept responsibility and you know it, but I didn't know about this, and I sure as hell never would have agreed to it."

"Come on Beautiful, you can't tell me that haven't been playing with Ranger and his feelings for you. This game you have of back and forth between you and the cop, while having Ranger on the side? Did you think he wouldn't be affected by that?" Lester asked.

"What do you mean? He sent me back to Morelli after our one night together. He left without so much as a backwards glance. He told me that he 'didn't do relationships', 'his love came with a condom not a ring', he loves me 'in his own way'. He qualifies everything he says to me. He doesn't want anything more than to play with me and then throw me back. How do you think that makes me feel? The only reason I put up with it is because I don't know what I would do if I didn't have him in my life. I'm in love with him and he doesn't want me, so I take what I can get from him emotionally, which is a few kisses in the alley behind the bonds office and the odd distraction job he asks me to do." I said angrily.

"Bombshell, have you paid attention to anything that he has given you? Yes, he says stupid things, but have you ever given him reason to think that if he offered you more that you would accept? He gives you anything you need, cars and protection, a place to stay when you needed it, you name it he does it without question. Not to say that anyone of us here wouldn't do the same thing, but have you ever thought about what he gives you? We know that you don't ask for it, but he gives it anyway." Tank replies matter of factly.

"How could I open up to him and tell him I love him when he says things like that. It would get thrown right back in my face you guys. I couldn't handle that. Not only would it break my heart completely, but I would lose the best friend that I've ever had, I couldn't risk my heart like that." I say in frustration.

"Beautiful, don't you think that he may have the same fears? I know you think he's Batman, but he's just a man after all. And if he sent you back to Morelli, nothing said you had to go back. When have you EVER done anything you were TOLD to do?" Lester explained softly.

I just stared at him. I couldn't say a thing to either of them for a few minutes. Tears of sadness and anger were swimming in my eyes. How could they think that I was playing around with Ranger? They weren't there when he said those things to me. I couldn't listen to them anymore. I needed to get out of here for a while.

"I'm going to the bonds office to see if there are any skips for me. I'll be back later." I said flatly.

As I turned my back to them I heard Tank's voice, "Jesus, neither of them is willing to deal with their issues. Ranger's not the only one acting like a child in this situation." Hearing that renewed my anger, who did he think he was calling me a child? I headed down to the garage and headed out of Rangeman, I really needed to get out of here NOW.

XXXXXX

Walking in the bonds office Lula and Connie looked up at me, both wearing looks of surprise. Well I guess that could be caused by that fact that I didn't bring doughnuts, but too bad I was too angry to think that far ahead. I just knew I needed to get out of there.

"Hey, where the doughnuts? You always bring doughnuts! We're hungry." Lula complained from her spot on the couch.

"Well, if you're that hungry go get your own doughnuts. I came to see if you had any files for me." I said shortly. Connie stopped applying her nail polish at my comment.

Lula gaped at me before she replied, "Who shoved the stick up your skinny white ass this morning? No need to take our heads off, we didn't do anything to you."

I slumped on the couch deflated. "Sorry, I just had a talk with Tank and Lester, and it made me so angry that I just needed to get out of there. So I came here hoping I could get some skips and get some of the anger worked off."

"What did they say that pissed you off so much?" asked Connie still staring at me.

I took a deep breath and "They basically told me that I was playing with Ranger this whole time while I was with Morelli on and off, and that I'm at least partially to blame for him running and then leaving for Miami even though I had nothing to do with the joke. How can they think that? I've never come on to him; I've never asked him for anything. Yeah, Morelli and I were on and off, but Ranger never wanted me for any kind of relationship." I said sadly.

"Steph, I hate to point this out to you, but they're right. You may not want to hear it, but from the outsider looking in, that's what we see too." Connie said.

I gaped at her. How could she think that?

"Think about it, if you were looking at the situation from the outside, you would think exactly the same thing, and would be the first person to stand up and put that person in their place. How can you not see that? Ranger is there to support you no matter what, Morelli yells at you every chance he gets when something blows up, or you're hurt. Ranger offers you help to succeed, Morelli wants you to change. Ranger gives you cars to blow up and his men who get shot and leave with broken limbs, Morelli gives you a headache, sore throat from yelling and high blood pressure from your anger." Lula commented.

"You guys, Ranger tells me he 'doesn't do relationships', 'a condom but no ring'. Why would I allow myself to tell him how I feel when it would just get thrown back in my face and then I would have nothing? I didn't want to be alone, so I went back to Morelli when he told me to, because I couldn't be alone. I've been there before and I can't do that again." I explained with frustration.

"Actions speak louder than words. And everyone can see that the two of you love each other, but the two of you. It's clear as day to everyone, even to Morelli when you were with him." Connie said.

"Yeah? Well how about the fact that he sent me back to Morelli's with his name on my panties and caused the final breakup with Morelli?" I asked.

The next thing Vinnie's office door opened and the slime ball stepped out, "Get back to work; I'm not paying you to chit chat. And you," pointing right at me, "If your that stupid to think that that man isn't in love with you then your more screwed up than I am. The fucking electricity that comes off of the two of you when you're in the same room is unbelievable. Any idiot can see how he looks at you. And you better not have run off my best bounty hunter because you're too stupid to get your head out of your ass. This office will be out of business and you'll all be out of a job then." Vinnie yells.

"Shut the fuck up Vinnie. Go back to your animals!" The three of us yelled at him together.

"I hate to say it, but Vinnie has a point. You need to get your head out of your ass Steph. You've been playing with that man for a long time. You better make up your mind, or you may just lose your chance at something that would be really good for both of you. As far as the panties, you didn't have to wear them, but it was about time for you and Morelli to be over with. You weren't good for each other anyways." With that said Connie hands me my files and I walk out the door.

Could they really be right? Have I been playing with Ranger just as much as he had been playing me? Only I had been doing it longer? Could this really all have been avoided if I wasn't such a chicken?

**So what did you think? More to come soon. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Thanks to everyone for your reviews on the first entry to this story. It took a while, but I finally figured out what should come next thanks to Amanda (Knab). You're awesome girl. Jenio1 this one's for you.**

**I hope you all enjoy the next installment of Ella Embroiders.**

_Previously…_

_ "I hate to say it, but Vinnie has a point. You need to get your head out of your ass Steph. You've been playing with that man for a long time. You better make up your mind, or you may just lose your chance at something that would be really good for both of you. As far as the panties, you didn't have to wear them, but it was about time for you and Morelli to be over with. You weren't good for each other anyways." With that said Connie hands me my files and I walk out the door. _

_ Could they really be right? Have I been playing with Ranger just as much as he had been playing me? Only I had been doing it longer? Could this really all have been avoided if I wasn't such a chicken? _

XXXXXX

(Ten days after the Takedown)

This whole situation had been going on long enough. Carlos was avoiding Stephanie and the guys from Trenton like the plague, and Stephanie was avoiding Rangeman because of the conversation between her, Tank and Lester. A harmless prank had turned into a huge disaster, but I guess I had at least gotten my point across to not on ly Carlos, but also to Stephanie as well. This relationship or non-relationship that they had going on needed to either move forward or die a quick death. Those two made each other so happy, but the fear that they both had that the other would be rejected was almost laughable. I finally figured that I needed to step in yet again and call in some reinforcements. Picking up the phone I called the one person that I could guarantee would be able to get the ball rolling.

"Hola." My sister answered.

"Hola Maria, I need your help. We have a situation with your son and Stephanie that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible." I explained.

"Ella, what has that idiot son of mine done now? I though they were getting closer, not that he speaks of her to me, I hear from the boys about her, but it's been a while since I have talked to Tank and Lester. How can I help?"

It took a while but I finally explained the situation and was glad that she saw the humor in the situation. Unfortunately living in this environment had taken away some of the humor.

"Well, I see that my son reacted as expected. Poorly. That boy needs to loosen up. He never did like to be the one that got laughed at, and when he was he tried to resolve it with his fists. I guess running was better than taking his fists to all of his crew and Stephanie, but to not have any contact with them is childish." Maria replied.

"Would you be willing to come and help with this. You are probably the only one that can help to get Carlos to return to Trenton." I stated.

"Yes, I will come out there tomorrow. I would also like to speak with Stephanie and get her side of the story. From what I hear of her, she is perfect for that son of mine, but she seems just as stubborn as he is." Maria laughs. "Can I stay with you if this takes more than a day sister?"

"Of course you are welcome here, but you may be more comfortable in Carlos's apartment until he returns. Plus it would be a more private place for our conversation with Stephanie. She has little privacy in her life, the more we can offer to her the more she will be willing to open up to us." I explained.

"You are exactly right sister of mine. I will see you tomorrow and we will see if we can get this straightened out." Maria said.

"See you tomorrow." I replied and hung up the phone. Good, now let's see if they will actually agree to this. Maybe we should have a meeting with the boys before we speak with Stephanie and get them on board as well. I know that no one is happy with the current situation and the sooner we resolve it the better.

XXXXXX

The next afternoon Maria and I were meeting with the core team and finding out what they knew. By the end of our meeting we had worked out a plan that we were hoping would solve all of the issues. No one wanted to see their friends hurting, and our lives needed to get back to some semblance of order.

Our next step in our plan was to have Stephanie come to Rangeman so Maria and I could speak with her. She arrived with caution written all over her face. I think the thing that she was most scared about was meeting Maria for only the second time in the entire three years she had known Carlos.

After spending hours with Stephanie, many tears were shed by all three of us. We had gotten the background on Stephanie's life, including her family, past relationships and her current non-relationship with Carlos as she called it. We had been able to explain about Carlos's childhood and what made him into the man that he was today. Even though she objected to listening to it, because she didn't want to know things that he didn't want her to know for fear of invading his privacy. Which was just another reason that we knew she was perfect for him. By the time she was ready to leave she had a defeated air about her.

"My dear, this is not the end if you are willing to fight for what you want. You have been mistreated all of your life, by those that claimed to love you, so in some ways what were you to think when someone treated you in complete contradiction to their words. You are both to blame for this situation, don't feel that you are completely responsible. We will get this figured out." I said to her.

Maria went over to her and gave her a hug that you could see was desperately needed. I had never seen Stephanie hug someone like they were her lifeline other than Carlos. I always knew that she would fit in perfectly to our family. Now we just needed to prove this to Carlos and his stubborn ass.

"It will all work out hija. Just you wait and see. I will call and get that stubborn ass up here and this will all work out." Maria said to her while continuing to hug her.

XXXXXX

After speaking with Ella and Maria for hours I felt better, but I knew I had a lot to make up for. Now I just needed to figure out how I could make up for my past behavior with Ranger. I had to think of something that would express just how I felt about him. I needed to make things right with him and I just hoped it wasn't too late to do it. God please don't let it be too late.

**Alright so what did you think? More to come soon. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Thanks to everyone for your reviews on the first entry to this story. It took a while, but I finally figured out what should come next thanks to Amanda (Knab). You're awesome girl. Jenio1 this one's for you.**

**I hope you all enjoy the next installment of Ella Embroiders.**

_Previously…_

_After speaking with Ella and Maria for hours I felt better, but I knew I had a lot to make up for. Now I just needed to figure out how I could make up for my past behavior with Ranger. I had to think of something that would express just how I felt about him. I needed to make things right with him and I just hoped it wasn't too late to do it. God please don't let it be too late._

XXXXXX

(Hours after the meeting with Maria and Ella)

(Two days before Ranger Returns)

My conversation with Ranger's mom and Ella was very enlightening. Not only did we talk about my issues, but I also got to know a bit more about the Man of Mystery. I knew that making things up to him would be difficult, but I was determined to give it more than one hundred percent. And I knew that I couldn't ask any of the Merry Men, Lula or Connie for help. This needed to come from me and me alone. But what do you give the man that has everything? I may not have a lot of money or resources, but I was definitely creative. Hell, I'm the Bombshell Bounty Hunter, an unorthodox bounty hunter that always gets her man. Trained or not, I found them and brought them in, yeah maybe covered in dirt or garbage, but hey, I brought them in. I was never short on creativity, and that is what was going to get me through this as well.

Looking around my apartment I thought of my relationship with Ranger and several things came to mind. I now knew what I was going to do. I made a list of things that I would need and a fever favors that I would be calling in to help me with my plan. I grabbed my bag and headed in the direction of one of my FTA's. I had helped him prove his innocence and he in turn told me he owed me. I was going to collect that right now. Getting in my car I headed for my first stop.

XXXXXX

A short time later I was at my second and third destinations. I felt like I was signing my life away, but I knew it would be worth it. In the grand scheme of things this was the most mild portion of my plan, but I knew it would go a long way to proving I was serious about what I wanted. I could wait to see what his reaction would be. Even if he didn't accept my apology, I knew this would help me in the long run. I was on my way to a better me.

The forth location was a quick run in for supplies and then I was headed back to my apartment to organize everything. My plan was coming together and it really only took a day to get together, it was the future that had me worried. Would he accept my apology? Would he turn his back on me? Would he insist that he have nothing further to do with me? Could my heart take the beating? I guess I was going to find out as soon as I heard he had returned to Trenton, which hopefully would be soon. I'm not the most patient person in the world, but I did need some time to get things set up.

XXXXXX

(Hours after getting his beat down in Trenton)

After getting my ass kicked by the guys I spent a lot of time thinking of what I wanted to do to make things up to my Babe. I know my Babe doesn't care about money, so gifts are out, I thought about a going to her family and doing something extravagant in front of them, but her mother would probably ruin it. I want her in my life, but I know that proposing wouldn't be right for right now, even if that's where I want this to go as soon as possible. I need to have her accept me back first. The order of these events needs to be done correctly.

I decided to set my ideas in motion, my first stop was to see a friend of mine who owed me a favor. He would definitely be shocked at what I wanted to do, since this would be my first time going to him for something like this, I had always refused anything like this before, but this was for my Babe, and I would do ANYTHING to get her back and keep her by my side.

Leaving Haywood I turned in the direction of my first stop of the day. If would take the longest and I could make some phone calls while I was there to get the next part organized. I was a multi-tasker, an organizer, a man feared by many, but only truly loved by one, or so I hoped. This was my new mission and I would not fail.

My first surprise was now complete and second objective was organized. My third objective would take a bit more time, and doing it without the help of others would cause a bit of a problem, since I had to go shopping, so I headed out of Trenton to get that shopping done so I would be less likely to be recognized, I didn't need for any of this to get back to my Babe before I was ready to show her myself, and god knows how word travels fast with that stupid grapevine.

With everything set up, I decided to head back to Trenton and see if my Babe would talk to me. I picked up my phone and dialed Tank.

"Yo." Tank answered.

"What's her location?" I asked.

"Call her your damn self." And he hung up on me. I looked at my phone in disbelief. I guess I should have guessed that would happen. Alright then, go straight the source.

I hit speed dial 1 and she picks up on the third ring breathing heavily, "Yo."

"Babe, that's my line." I say with a smile in my voice. "Why are you out of breath? Are you alright?"

"Fine, had to run for the phone." She replied, I wasn't quite sure if she was telling the whole truth.

"Can I stop by your apartment? I need to speak with you about something." I asked.

"I'm not home right now Ranger, but I will be in about an hour. Can it wait until then?" she asked. Perfect.

"Yeah Babe, that'll be fine. I'll see you then." And I hung up. Oops. I should have said goodbye. Way to go Manoso, so much for trying to change my ways. I'll have to work on that some more. Heading back towards Trenton I took my time and settled into my zone.

Pulling up into her lot I looked up at the window before getting out of the car and making my way up to her apartment. Remembering I didn't say goodbye on the phone I decided to be polite and knocked instead of letting myself in.

XXXXXX

I had just gotten back to my apartment and was covered in sweat. I was about to head for the shower when my phone rang with the Batman theme. I was still out of breath so I waited to answer till the third ring. The conversation was short and as usual he hung u p without so much as a goodbye, but I wasn't going to let that get to me. I ran for the shower and took the quickest shower of my life, thankful that I had shaved and buffed myself to oblivion the night before.

I quickly ran some anti-frizz gel through my hair so I could tame my curls and miracle of miracles they were cooperating. I put on light make-up and then got dressed in my low ride skinny jeans with black racer back tank top, and then threw on a white short sleeve tuxedo style shirt that I buttoned up to just under my breast to accentuate what little I had and put on my black four inch FMPs.

I had placed everything I needed to give him in my purse so that as soon as saw him I would be able to give it to him no matter where we were. I was ready, and not a second too soon, because there was a knock at the door. It took me a second to gather myself. Looking through the peep hole I saw that it was Ranger and was taken aback at first that he knocked, but quickly collected myself for the second time in only seconds and opened the door.

**Okay so next week see how they make it up to each other. My question to you is do you want to see smut? Let me know. I hope you enjoyed this one. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Thanks to everyone for your reviews on the first entry to this story. It took a while, but I finally figured out what should come next thanks to Amanda (Knab). You're awesome girl. **

**I hope you all enjoy the next installment of Ella Embroiders.**

_Previously…_

_ I had placed everything I needed to give him in my purse so that as soon as saw him I would be able to give it to him no matter where we were. I was ready, and not a second too soon, because there was a knock at the door. It took me a second to gather myself. Looking through the peep hole I saw that it was Ranger and was taken aback at first that he knocked, but quickly collected myself for the second time in only seconds and opened the door._

XXXXXX

Opening the door my jaw just about hit the floor when I saw him. He looked amazing in his stone washed denim ass hugging jeans, black combat boots, and black button up long sleeve dress shirt. The cuffs were rolled up slightly and his hair was pulled back loosely at the base of his neck. The man was sex personified. It took me a minute to get passed the dry mouth that I had at his appearance. My throat felt like it was dryer than the Sahara desert.

I stepped back to let him in, "Come on in." I offered. I couldn't get any other words out.

"Hey Babe," he said as he stepped up to give me a soft kiss on the lips before moving into the living room. His kiss had me stupefied.

As I closed the door behind him I got an unbelievable backside view and my mouth went from the Sahara to Niagara Falls in 0.01 seconds. I had to check my mouth for drool before I could say anything further. I needed to reign in my hormones before my plan went amuck.

"Hey." I said clearing my throat.

XXXXXX

When she opened the door it took everything in me not to lunge at her and take her right there on the floor. She looked gorgeous. Her jeans clung to the sexy curve of her hips and legs like I had never seen before. All I could think was 'I wish I were those jeans'. Her breast were excentuated by her white blouse over her black tank top and were taunting me. I had to regain control over my body before everything went south. Focus Soldier Your on a Mission here.

I couldn't resist kissing her lips as I passed when she invited me in. But pulling back was harder than any third world mission I had ever been on. My body was screaming out for her and I had to deny it what it wanted to get to the end goal.

"Babe, I need to take you somewhere today. I know things have been rough, but I need you to trust me. Will you come with me? And not ask any questions?" I asked her hoping that she would agree. 'Please God let her agree' I prayed.

"On one condition Ranger." She replied. Oh shit, here it is she's going to say we have to take someone with us. That is not what I wanted as all. This needed to be done between the two of us first. I nod my head to her telling her to go on. "I have something that you need to listen to in the car on the way to where ever we are going. And while it plays I need you to really listen to it without saying anything." At that I raised an eyebrow. When did I ever have trouble staying quiet? "I know Mr Strong Silent type, but you have to agree to listen to it completely before you say anything. Okay?"

I hesitate for a moment before I say, "Okay Babe. I need you to grab a different pair of shoes as well. Those heels aren't going to work for a portion of today."

"What kind of shoes should I bring?" She asks.

"Boot or tennis shoes, but nothing with a heel will do." I reply. I didn't want to give her too much information. At that she nods, turns to her bedroom and returns with a pair of combat boots in her hand, and grabs her bag.

"Lead the way Batman, I'm all yours." She replies. As I walk out the door and turn to watch her lock up I think to my self, 'I can only hope'.

XXXXXX

After locking up my apartment and walking down to his car I noticed I was starting to feel twitchy. I couldn't decide whether this was going to be a good thing or not and I was honestly nervous as hell. I was so glad when I noticed that he had the Turbo. I loved this car and as soon as I sat in the passenger seat I was melting into the butter soft leather. Taking a deep breath to calm myself I reached over to the stereo and popped in the CD that I had made for Ranger. As he started up the car I looked at him before I put on my sun glasses and said, "Remember not a word until you've listened to them all."

That got me a tilt of his head and a 'Babe' in response as he shifted into reverse to back out and get on the road. The first song came on and I thought I felt him stiffen a bit before he relaxed again. The song was 'Get Back in my Life' by Maroon 5, this song let him know that I was addicted to him no matter how we had treated each other. Followed by Cavo's 'Crash'. This one hit a bit closer to home for him than me, but I wanted him to know that no matter where he was, no matter how far away he was I would always be there to help pick up the pieces of his life. Then Jessie J's 'Price Tag', I wanted to make sure that he knew I wasn't interesting in his money. It would never matter to me in the least I wanted him. Right after was Adam Lambert's 'If I Had You'. I loved this song, it spoke so well of us and out dangerous lives. The next two songs were to let him know that I loved him for who he was, first came Bruno Mars, 'Just the Way You Are', then Pinks 'Funkin Perfect'. I didn't need to him to change for me in any way, I loved him for who he was, secrets, danger, all of it. The next group of songs explained what I wanted to do, 'Parachute' by Train was the perfect explanation for what we did for one another, 'I would never let him down' and 'we would only hit the ground running' spoke volumes. Next was 'Awake and Alive' by Skillet, we breath life into each other like the song says. Then Rihanna's 'Only Girl in Your World' should have told him exactly what I wanted to be, and as far as I was concerned I didn't need another man. The next one was another from Adam Lambert "for Your Entertainment', yeah I definitely wanted to be his entertainment in the bedroom, but it also told him that once I was there that was it, no one else ever would be. No one else had ever done to me what he had in our one night together and no one else ever would. I was more than willing to try anything with him, alright hormones hold your horses. And the last song was 'All In', by Lifehouse, the name says it all. If he was willing to take me I was more than all in this relationship.

When the end of the CD came I could see his adams apple bobbing up and down and he looked nervous. I wasn't taking that as a good sign.

XXXXXX

Listening to the CD my Babe had put together for me had me in complete awe. It was perfect, like she is for me. The songs spoke well for both of us. The further into the CD we got the more light my heart became. I wanted nothing more than to pull off to the side of the road and take her right there. It was a strain to keep my hands on the steering wheel instead of on her. There was lump in my throat and I was trying to swallow past it to tell her how I felt and I was getting more and more nervous that the words that were going to come out of my mouth would upset her. God knows my mouth never seems to work around her. I wanted to make sure that I didn't ruin what it was starting to seems like today would be. The beginning of our 'Someday'.

A strangled 'Babe' came out of my limps but it sounded weak even to my ears. There were tears forming in my eyes and I can't remember the last time that I had ever dried in front of anyone. I cleared my throat to try again. I saw her tense up at my response and had to quickly fill the silence.

"Babe, I hope what I got out of this CD was correct. I need to get us to our destination, but if I'm right you have made me the happiest man alive Babe. We only have a few more minutes until we are there and then we can talk for a minute." I needed to look into her eyes to say what I needed to say. I wanted to see the look in her eyes when I told her what I needed to say.

Pulling up to our first destination, a warehouse halfway outside both Newark and Trenton, I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt and exited the car. I opened her door and could see the questions on her face. You couldn't see what was behind the building and there was no print on the outside.

"Babe, that CD couldn't have spelled out any better what I want for you, for us. I'm tired of trying to hide my feelings for you. I was only trying to protect you, but I also found out that I was protecting my own heart as well. I want to be the one you come to when your sad, happy, angry or what ever emotion you feel that you need to share. If you'll accept me you will never need another, I'll be your Parachute and I'm more than All in Babe, You are the Only Woman in my World. I never meant to hurt you with anything that I said. If you haven't figured it out I lack control when it comes to you. But that's no excuse for how I've treated you. Please give me the chance to prove to you how much you mean to me, and what I want to be to you." I noticed pulled the sunglasses from her face to find tears streaming down her face. "We're for two things Babe. One I want to make one of your dreams come true right now. But first I need to show you something." I pull back from her and roll up the sleeve on my right arm up to my elbow and turn my inner arm to face her and hear her suck in a breath.

I look up to see her staring at my arm where I had marked myself as hers with the Wonder Woman symbol for all the world to see. Normally I wear short sleeve black t-shirts for work so the placement of the tattoo will be visible for everyone to see. The look on her face was pure shock but the tears kept on coming. She gently ran her hand over the tattoo tracing it almost to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "Babe, this proves that I belong to you. No one else has a claim on any part of me, only you." She still hadn't said anything, but looked up into my eyes and I could see the sparkle that I fell in love with so long ago.

I took her in my arms and kissed her before she could say anything. I poured all of my emotions into that kiss and I never wanted to let her go, but I knew I needed to in order for her to get the next surprise. Breaking from the kiss I pulled away from her and took her hand and pulled her towards the building and through the door.

XXXXXX

I had no idea where we were. I had been listening to the words of the songs only hoping that they would mean to him what they expressed to me. The words that came from him had me floored. He really wanted the same thing that I did! He wanted to be with me! He wanted ME! I was so floored by his speech that I couldn't say anything after he was done. I had tears streaming down my face, tears of happiness, but then when he showed me his tattoo I couldn't breathe, and could only let the tears flow even harder. I traced my fingers over my brand on him that he so willingly did, I almost couldn't believe that any of this was actually real.

Before I knew it he was kissing me gently, but full of love and passion. I never wanted it to end. He broke the kiss all too soon and pulled me into the warehouse to show me the reason we were here. When we walked inside the building a sudden fluttering of excitement was building within me when I realized what we were here for.

**So what do you think so far? There is more. Do you want it? Hmmmm? **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Thanks to everyone for your reviews on the first entry to this story. It took a while, but I finally figured out what should come next thanks to Amanda (Knab). You're awesome girl. **

**I hope you all enjoy the next installment of Ella Embroiders.**

**Okay so I couldn't hold off on putting this one out there for everyone to read when so many of you kept asking what was happening next. But this is it for today for this story. No amount of prodding will get me to post the next one. **

_Previously…_

_I had no idea where we were. I had been listening to the words of the songs only hoping that they would mean to him what they expressed to me. The words that came from him had me floored. He really wanted the same thing that I did! He wanted to be with me! He wanted ME! I was so floored by his speech that I couldn't say anything after he was done. I had tears streaming down my face, tears of happiness, but then when he showed me his tattoo I couldn't breathe, and could only let the tears flow even harder. I traced my fingers over my brand on him that he so willingly did, I almost couldn't believe that any of this was actually real. _

_ Before I knew it he was kissing me gently, but full of love and passion. I never wanted it to end. He broke the kiss all too soon and pulled me into the warehouse to show me the reason we were here. When we walked inside the building a sudden fluttering of excitement was building within me when I realized what we were here for. _

XXXXXX

I was going to learn how to FLY! He remembered one of my childhood dreams and he wanted to make it come true. If I hadn't loved this man before I would have absolutely fallen head over heels for him today. No one had ever done anything like this for me.

Before we could walk over to the instructor I pulled back against him and he turned just like I wanted him to. But he wasn't expecting me to jump into his arms and I was even more excited when I was able to knock him over and we both fell to the floor and I gave him the most passion filled kiss I could. The kiss pulled moans from both of us and we didn't stop until we heard hoots and catcalls from the instructors standing a distance from us. When I looked at him I noticed his eyes were twinkling with mischief.

"Thank you for this. No one has ever done anything like this for me. You have more than fulfilled one of my dreams today. I know we still need to talk, but I've loved you for so long that I don't think I could live if you weren't around to enjoy it with me." His response was to smile his 1000 watt smile and kiss me again ignoring everyone around us.

When we finally broke apart, he helped me to stand, walked us over to the instructors and then I was given my introductory session on what to do. I was happy to hear that I would be jumping tandem with Ranger since he had enough jump time.

In prep to get ready for our jump the instructor told me that I would need to remove my outer shirt and place on their jump suit. Without a thought I unbuttoned my white shirt and pulled it off placing it in the bag that Ranger had brought with us. When I stood up I heard a breath catch behind me and I looked over my shoulder to see Ranger staring right at my left shoulder. Without a word he traced the outline of what he saw with a look of amazement on his face.

Looking in my eyes without removing his finger from my shoulder he asked, "When did you do this?" I just stared at him for a minute. "This isn't a fresh mark Babe, it's healed. When did you do this?" he asked again.

"A few days ago." I replied, looking at him for his reaction.

While he was looking back at the tattoo he said, "The Batman Symbol." He swallowed. Then returned his gaze to my eyes, "You had the Batman symbol tattooed on your shoulder while I was gone?" he asked.

"Yes." I replied. "I wanted to show you that I belonged to you and no one else. I've known for a long time that I loved you, that I was in love with you, but I never had the guts to truly accept that fact up until a few days ago when some really good friends and family put me in my place. I wanted a way to show you that no matter what you said, and no matter what I did that I would always belong to you."

"God that's HOT." He said, then spun me around to face him and took me in another deep passionate kiss. I was so lost in him that I could have stripped him right then and there. Ranger got control of himself first and pulled back. "We are going to jump together Babe, and then we are going to go somewhere we can talk. But God I want you so bad right now." He ground himself on me just to prove his point.

That elicited a moan from deep within my chest, "I don't know how long you'll be able to put me off Batman. I'm pretty worked up; you'll have your work cut out for you." I replied.

"Just what I like, a challenge." He said before kissing me gently on the lips and moving away from me.

We finished getting dressed and were quickly on the plane and up in the air. The trip up was nerve racking but I was with Ranger and knew I had nothing to fear. We were strapped together and given our final instructions. The next thing I knew we were plummeting back to the ground and the feeling was wonderful. I felt free, safe and powerful. Ranger was in absolute control of our freefall and then all too soon he pulled the cord to release the parachute. We hit the ground with a run, and he released me from the harness as soon as I was able to stand on my own.

The adrenalin rush was unbelievable. I had never felt anything like it. I wanted to go again and again, but I also wanted to get him to a bed as soon as possible. I attacked him yet again not only with my lips, but my hands brushing across his crotch to let him know exactly what I had in mind. He groaned in my mouth and moved one of his hands to my breast and pinched a nipple.

"Playing with fire Babe." was all he could get out between pants.

"Burn me, Batman, burn me." I said and a feral grin crossed his face.

We raced across the field where we landed and went back to the warehouse to thank the instructors and gather our things. We couldn't get out of there fast enough as far as I was concerned. Seemed Ranger was in just as much of a hurry as I was.

XXXXXX

God she's so beautiful, and MINE! The cd spoke of our feelings perfectly, but her marking herself for me, it was all I could do not to rip our clothes off in front of everyone standing around and taking her right then and there. I was so hard I could pound nails.

I had to think of her Grandma Mazur in a bikini to get some semblance of control so that we could continue on with my plan for the day. I had no idea that she would have surprises of her own for me. God I was a lucky bastard.

The jump went perfectly and I could tell that my Babe enjoyed it. If I wasn't so hungry for her physically I would have stuck around and taken her for another jump. I guess I'll have to bring her back another time. We couldn't get out of there quickly enough. We said our thanks gathered our things and couldn't keep from running for the car. I opened her door and let her climb in gave her a quick kiss, I couldn't take any more than that and keep my body in check, threw the bag in the trunk and then jumped in the drivers seat. The Turbo roared to life and I hauled ass out of the parking lot.

It would take about thirty minutes to get to our next stop. I tried to get into the zone, but couldn't. The sexual tension between the two of us was just too thick.

"Babe, I wanted to wait until we got to the next stop before we talked, but I don't think I'll be able to control myself once we get there. I need to tell you that I've wanted you for so long. I know things have been a mess with us lately, and I'm sorry for that. I over reacted to the joke. I know you had nothing to do with it, although honestly I wasn't sure at first. Please don't take this to mean that I don't trust you. I do, with my life. You look at me like I'm a superhero most of the time, which is a daunting task. When I saw you laughing, I thought you were laughing at me, not at the situation. I'm so sorry."

She opened her mouth to say something but I cut her off, "Please let me finish." I paused and waited for her nod before continuing. "I've never liked being the butt of anyone's joke and I know you don't either. My time in the military helped me to make sure that no one would laugh at me again. It happened a lot when I was a kid and as I got older I wanted to make sure that it never happened again. I'm sorry for telling you that you were entertainment. That's not at all what I meant when I said it. You are the light in my world. I've lived in the darkness and horrors of the world for so long that when I met you, you brightened my dark world instantly. You make me smile, you make me laugh, but not at you, with you. You have brought such happiness to my world that I don't know what I would do without you. I can't go back to the darkness Babe. I'd honestly die inside. I'm so sorry for the hurt that I've caused you. I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I just need to be with you, to love you, that is what would give me the most pleasure in the world. I want to be the one to make you happy Babe. Please let me."

XXXXXX

His words were more than I had ever hoped for. This is exactly what I wanted from him, what I needed to hear from him. I could have only hoped that this would actually be happening. All of my dreams were coming true.

"Ranger, yes some of the things that you've said have hurt, but you aren't completely to blame for everything. We have both hurt each other. I never meant to hurt you. I was protecting my heart from you. Your comments left me thinking that if I had expressed my true feelings to you that you would leave and then I wouldn't have anything of you. I also never wanted to feel like an obligation to you. I went back to Morelli because he was safe, I've known him my whole life, but that didn't mean that he was right for me. I don't want the same things that come with the 'burg. I've never been like the 'burg, and I never will be. My going back and forth with him was wrong. Not only was it hurtful to him, allowing him to think that we could be more when my heart belonged to you, but it was also hurtful to you. I honestly don't know how I could have been so stupid and cruel. What I do know though, above all else, is that you have my heart completely. If you'll have me I'm yours. I'll never love another like I love you."

"I'm yours mind, body and soul Batman. Even if it only lasts a short time, I will never regret the time that we have together. Not one second of it." I said.

"As for the joke, yes it hurt that you thought I had something to do with it, but I can understand why. I knew exactly how you felt when it was happening. I laughed at the situation, not you, and I felt horrible about it afterwards. It took some pretty smart people to help me get my head out of my ass and see what was right in front of me the whole time. I wish I could take all the credit for my revelations, but no matter how it happened I'm glad it did." I informed him.

He didn't speak as we pulled up to a gate and he punched in a code and the gates slowly swung open. Pulling up a long driveway I noticed a house in the distance, with a beautifully landscaped yard with mature trees and freshly cut grass. The house was a beautiful two story white on white Victorian, with a huge porch, I was in awe. Before I knew it I was being lifted out of my seat by a pair of strong arms and pulled into a passionate kiss.

When he pulled away he had a 1000 watt smile lighting his entire face and he whispered in my ear while nuzzling my hair, "Welcome to the Batcave Babe."

**Warning, Warning Smut Ahead! But that comes tomorrow. Moohoohaa!**

**Let me know if you liked it. There are about two more chapters of this story left. So drop me a line and let me know what you think. I can't wait till you see the end. I'm bouncing in my seat to give it to you. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Thanks to everyone for your reviews on the first entry to this story. It took a while, but I finally figured out what should come next thanks to Amanda (Knab). You're awesome girl. **

**I hope you all enjoy the next installment of Ella Embroiders.**

_Previously…_

_He didn't speak as we pulled up to a gate and he punched in a code and the gates slowly swung open. Pulling up a long driveway I noticed a house in the distance, with a beautifully landscaped yard with mature trees and freshly cut grass. The house was a beautiful two story white on white Victorian, with a huge porch, I was in awe. Before I knew it I was being lifted out of my seat by a pair of strong arms and pulled into a passionate kiss. _

_When he pulled away he had a 1000 watt smile lighting his entire face and he whispered in my ear while nuzzling my hair, "Welcome to the Batcave Babe." _

XXXXXX

I was stunned by what he said. Did I hear him right? Was I really where I thought I was? I'd dreamed of this day for so long.

"Yeah Babe, you heard me right, and yes you really are here." He laughed.

"But, the Batcave is Forever!" I replied dumbly while staring at the house.

"Yeah Babe, it is." He said nuzzling my neck even more sending shock waves down south. He looked into my eyes and then his lips descended on mine. Before I knew it he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I heard the car door close and then a door open. I could feel every muscle in his body move underneath me and it only made the fire inside of me grow. He had one hand in my hair and the other on my ass holding me up while never breaking the kiss, our tongues exploring each others mouth. I was holding on to him for dear life with my arms around his neck and legs around his waist, and I never wanted to let go.

We were in the bedroom within minutes of walking in the front door and without realizing it we were both on the bed completely naked. How does he do that?

"Magic Babe." He responded to what I thought was an unspoken question. Our hands were every where all at once, exploring every surface of each others body, yet we moved together effortlessly. The only sounds I could hear was our breathing, the moans we pulled from one another, and the blood pounding in my ears. My body felt like it was on fire, and every where that he trailed his fingers blazed a path on my skin that sent a chill straight to my core.

"I need you." I whispered to him when our mouths separated for a split second.

"You have me, forever." He responded at our next breath.

I couldn't respond so I moved my hand to reach his cock, wrap my hand around it and pumped to drive my point home. I received a groan in response and the kiss deepened and became more forceful.

"No going back Babe." He reminded me while trailing the kiss down my neck.

My only conscious thought and response was, "Never". With that he thrust inside me in one swift movement and stilled our bodies, but still assaulting me with kisses down my neck, to my shoulder and back, stopping to suck at the pulse point at my neck. I noticed his fingers were caressing the tattoo on my shoulder. He started to move his hips back and forth with slow movements and I met him with every thrust. This wasn't fast, it wasn't rough, it was however filled with love and a deep need to connect with the other half of our soul. I had never been filled with such joy as I made love to a man, but then again this wasn't just any man. This was my soul mate, the man I would spend the rest of my life with.

As we grew closer and closer to climax my brain fog began to clear and I couldn't wait to say it any longer, I needed to say it to him, "I love you Ranger."

He thrust even deeper inside me at my words and replied, "God Babe, I love you so much it hurts." He continued to thrust as deeply as he could get and we both went tumbling over the edge together.

XXXXXX

After a few more rounds in the bedroom Ranger took me on a tour of the house which started in the closet where I found it half full of Rangers clothes and the other half had been filled with clothing for me. I was stunned at how much planning he had done.

After making it through the entire house we were sitting outside on the patio beside the pool with me between his legs and I realized that I hadn't finished giving him what I had made for him.

"I'll be right back." At his frown, I said, "I promise, I'm not going anywhere but to get my purse." At his nod I retrieved my bag and returned to sit between his legs, only this time I was facing him and straddling his hips. "I have something else to give you. I wanted to prove to you that I value what you have always told me about my job. I know you think that I have great instincts, where as I think it's luck. I know that I have fought you about getting training for my job, that you have offered on more than one occasion and I have always turned you down. I know that your number one concern for me has always been my safety." I pulled an envelope out of my purse and handed it to him. I watched as he opened it and read what it said. Before he could say anything I continued, "I know that you've said you have enemies, and that I would be in even more danger than I normally am, but what I want you to know is that I'm aware of this and I'm willing to do whatever training you want me to do for you to be more comfortable being with me. I don't want you to worry all of the time, I will take my safety and training seriously, because I want to have as much time with you as possible." He finally looks up into my eyes. I could see a shimmer there. I placed my hands on his cheeks to make sure he was looking right at me. "We make a good team in all facets of life. I don't ever want you to have any regrets that there could have been something more you could have done for me. I love you and I'm not willing to let you come up with ANY excuse to push me away again. As you can see on there the contract needs to have your signature, I've already signed it. The only request that I make is that the training be done by one or more of the guys, not by you."

He started to speak but I shook my head at him. "I want to make sure that they don't hold back on me, someone who won't be all consumed by not hurting me, but rather be more focused on training me. That is the only way that this will work. I'm a big girl, I can take it." He kisses me gently on the lips and hugged me tightly to his chest and I couldn't help but wrap my arms around him.

"Thank you for this Babe. You have no idea what this means to me. But I want to be able to oversee your training. I don't need to be present during every session, but I would like to be able to watch and give pointers if needed. Please allow me to do this." He says.

"I can live with that." I smile at him and kiss him on the cheek, before moving down his jaw line to his neck and receive the shivers I was seeking.

**So, we are closing in on the end now. Let me know what you think. I love to hear from you. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. **

**Thanks to everyone for your reviews on the first entry to this story. It took a while, but I finally figured out what should come next thanks to Amanda (Knab). You're awesome girl. **

**I hope you all enjoy the Last installment of Ella Embroiders.**

_Previously…_

_He started to speak but I shook my head at him. "I want to make sure that they don't hold back on me, someone who won't be all consumed by not hurting me, but rather be more focused on training me. That is the only way that this will work. I'm a big girl, I can take it." He kisses me gently on the lips and hugged me tightly to his chest and I couldn't help but wrap my arms around him. _

_ "Thank you for this Babe. You have no idea what this means to me. But I want to be able to oversee your training. I don't need to be present during every session, but I would like to be able to watch and give pointers if needed. Please allow me to do this." He says._

_ "I can live with that." I smile at him and kiss him on the cheek, before moving down his jaw line to his neck and receive the shivers I was seeking. _

XXXXXX

(One Month Later)

(Ella's POV)

I couldn't be happier with the way things had turned out. It was a bit iffy at times, but with the right steering, and the right encouragement we got the end result we had wanted. Carlos and Stephanie had finally admitted how they felt about each other not only to themselves, but to each other. They took a week off after Carlos returned from Miami and spent it at the Batcave. When they returned Stephanie's apartment was packed up and she was immediately moved in to the 7th floor. Carlos had also taken Stephanie home to meet his family, and of course we all loved her. How could we not?

Not everything went quite that easily though. Stephanie's mother had not talked to her since she returned from their week off, which we could all see hurt her, but she did her best not to show it. At least her father and grandmother had been supportive of her choices.

Our happy couple didn't go out of the office very often this past month, between Stephanie's training schedule and all the paperwork that needed to be done to catch up from his disappearing act he had finally just caught up. And a good thing too, we were preparing for their wedding at the beach in Point Pleasant this weekend. I got the pleasure of making the cake. They had decided to keep everything simple, only inviting their closest family and friends, which honestly was quiet a few people.

The entire staff in Trenton and Miami were attending, (well they had all helped to remove Carlos's head from his rear) workers from the Boston and Atlanta offices were covering the work load, Mary Lou, Connie and Lula were acting as Bridesmaids, Stephanie's Father and grandmother would be in attendance, as well as Carlos's family. Yes, that's right Stephanie's witch of a mother and her sister refused to attend, surprisingly Stephanie took that rather well.

I had a few things to finish up and a few more surprises for our couple that they would find soon enough. I couldn't wait. I had to give myself a pat on the back for a job well done honestly. I know it wasn't all my handy work, but I did get the ball rolling.

XXXXXX

(Steph's POV)

Everything was working out wonderfully. My training was going great, I was in the best shape of my life and soon I would be Mrs. Ricardo Carlos Manoso. I couldn't wait. Today though was the first chance I'd had to get out of the office and try out my new skills. I was hoping I would be able to do it before the wedding, and prove to everyone that I wasn't a joke before we said our 'I do's'.

Hoping out of the shower, pulling my hair back in a high pony tail, adding light make up and heading into the closet I was excited to get dressed and get started with my day. Searching for my usual racer back tank top I found that they had been replaced with a new set of shorter racer back tanks which from a distance looked like there was something white on one of them. Hmmm, strange. I searched through all of them and found white on all of them. That was strange. I pulled one out to look at it and laughed a full belly laugh. Before I could get my self under control I heard Ranger walk in the closet behind me.

"You okay Babe?" he asked.

"I'm fine." I had to work to get my laughter under control before I turned around to look at him seeing him in his usual SWAT gear, skin tight black short sleeve t-shirt, ass hugging black cargos, Bates boots and hair pulled in a low pony tail, I responded, "I'll be out in a second." still snickering.

"Okay." He said and turned around and walked out of the closet but not before I could burst out into another serious round of the giggles. I'm so glad I didn't have anything in my mouth.

I finished getting dressed in my new tank which left two inches of skin between it and my ass hugging cargos, bates boots and then loaded all my weapons on me. I threw on a windbreaker over my top to hopefully help with the chill, that may or may not come from the weather. I made my way out to the living room and kissed Ranger on the mouth before saying, "All set, let's head out. Time to catch some bad guys." I winked at him and he just laughed at my comment and then growled when I added an extra sway to my hips as I walked out the apartment door to the elevator in front of him.

XXXXXX

Our morning had gone very well. We were able to pick up our skip within the first three hours of being out. I was in seventh heaven. I had been the one to take the guy down with my new moves, I was working with the love of my life and we were going to walk the skip in together. Pulling up in the dock of the TPD I pulled off my windbreaker and set it in my seat of the explorer and exited the vehicle. I felt Ranger approaching behind me and turned in his direction before he could open the door to get the skip out.

I heard a growl come from deep within his chest at what he saw. Before he opened the skips door he pulled me in for a deep kiss, not backing down until we both needed air, "Truth in advertising, Babe. I hope there are more of those." I smiled at him.

He released me to pull the skip out of the car and the three of us walked in, two very happy people and one slightly less than happy since he was being returned to the system. As luck would have it Morelli was at the desk when we arrived.

"So, you finally decided to grace us with your presence Cupcake? What, so you get the glory of brining this guy in, when Ranger did all the work for you?" Morelli sneered.

"I wish," commented the skip. "My balls would be in working order right now if she had." The skip looked at me then and asked, "You know that kick to the ribs you gave me?" I nodded. "If you ever have to pick me up again I can assure you that you won't need to do that again."

Ranger just smiled his 200 watt smile and Morelli glared. The paperwork was processed and Morelli handed the receipt over to Ranger. Reaching out his right arm to grab it Morelli got a good glimpse of the Wonder Woman tattoo on Ranger's forearm. I could see his jaw clench. Then Morelli took a closer look at my shirt, I knew he would at some point, and he replied "Stamping your name on her now Ranger? What, you afraid she'll run out on you?" Ranger just smiled. A small crowd had been gathering to watch the interaction and a few snickers could be heard.

"I wear this with pride Morelli, and as Ranger commented earlier it's 'Truth in Advertising." I swung around purposely so he could get a good glimpse of my shoulder with the Batman symbol tattoo and I heard him suck in his breath. Smiling up at Ranger I said, "I'll wear it loud and proud for the whole world to see. I have nothing to hide and nothing that I'm ashamed of." With that Ranger grabs my waist pulls me next to him and we head towards the door hearing another intake of breath but this one much louder and signaling that it was more than just Morelli. I smiled proudly and rubbed Ranger's butt cheek through his cargos.

As we walked out the door I said to Ranger, "I'm so glad you wore those pants today. Seeing "Property of Babe" stitched onto your ass in Hot Pink thread is so HOT!" That got ma a 1000 watt smile from him. "Can we go back to the apartment for lunch, I have a sudden craving for whip cream and chocolate syrup, and Cuban Sex God." I give him my sexy wicked grin.

He growls at me, "I'm one step ahead of you there Babe. Have been since you took off that windbreaker and I saw "Property of Batman" stamped across your chest." He traced his fingers down the v of my tank and teased my exposed cleavage. "Although, I want some strawberries added into the mix. I think we may just need to take the rest of the day off." He drops a light kiss to my lips and settles me into the Explorer and we were speeding out of the lot in no time flat.

The End

**So, what did you think? Did you like the ending? Let me know your thoughts. **

**I thought about adding the wedding into the story, but I thought it ended well right here. Something similar to how it started. **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story. I truly appreciate all of the encouragement I received. It was a lot of fun to write and you helped to keep me moving forward. I hope you will continue to follow the other stories that I have running currently. I am mostly a Babe fan, although if he weren't an option any of the MM would work to, Lester being my favorite. Have a great summer. I hope to catch up with you on another story.**


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